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Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato) 
Scenes from Livermore Police Department’s April, 2026 mounted officers training at Robertson Park. (Photo by Sophia Sucato)
The Livermore Police Department and the Western States Mounted Officers Association held a weeklong training at Robertson Park, which aims to help the department stay up to date with the latest tactics, patrol methods and laws for officers on horseback.
The training at the Livermore rodeo grounds kicked off on Monday (April 13). At the start of each session, participants including law enforcement officers, search and rescue teams, volunteers and others started by practicing formations for the first 15 minutes of the day.
The members lined up in order to be counted off in groups of five, with each group assigned to a trainer who helped guide and direct the mounted officer in the correct formations.
The overall goal of these training courses is to prepare the horses and their human partners for things they may encounter in the real world at parades or during rescues, according to officials.
The classes also use various items such as flags, bubble machines and balloons in the training – all provided by volunteers – to help reinforce confidence in mounted officers. The drills they practice help to reinforce the correct patterns and response to all different scenarios.
“The more we can train these horses and build their confidence, the riders’ confidence – the more knowledge they’re gonna have and the more comfortable they’re gonna feel in real life scenarios,” said volunteer Adrian Dominguez, adding that horses learn best through repetition.
According to LPD’s Mounted Police Unit webpage, patrol officers on horseback bring a number of benefits to the department, including allowing officers to engage more directly with the community, being able to go where traditional patrol units can’t thereby providing crucial support for search and rescue or crime prevention, and having an enhanced yet approachable presence that allows people who may need help to spot them at crowded events.
LPD encourages community interactions with its mounted unit as officials wrote on their webpage, “If you see us around town, be sure to stop by and say hello!”
Editor’s Note: Embarcadero Media East Bay Division Editor Cierra Bailey contributed to this report.
